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Newly elected Rep. Ellsworth addresses Hoosier CU conference
Legislative Affairs Forum includes other lawmakers, updates
February 5, 2007
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Upper: Rep. Brad Ellsworth (left) greets Indiana League Chairman Jenny
Budreau of FORUM CU (Fishers, Ind.) while Indiana League President John
McKenzie (red tie) and Evansville Teachers FCU President Mike Phipps (blue
tie) look on. Phipps is a member of the League’s Governmental Affairs
Committee and hosted a fundraiser for the Ellsworth campaign. Lower: Rep.
Ellsworth is a 25-year member of Centurion FCU in Evansville, Ind. He is
shown here (right) with the credit union’s President/Treasurer/CEO Kris
Ploetz. |
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Congressman Brad Ellsworth was the featured speaker at the
Indiana Credit Union League’s annual Legislative Affairs Forum on Jan. 29 at the
Westin Hotel in Downtown Indianapolis. He thanked the 100+ attendees for their
support of his 8th District campaign to unseat an incumbent who did not support
credit unions. Speaking of his road to Congress and his first three weeks as a
U. S. Representative, he remembered the early days when he was deciding whether
to run, telling the group, “Credit unions were there when others weren’t. I
won’t forget that.” He recounted that one of his first positive meetings at his
campaign’s outset in July 2005, a time when he faced many closed doors, was a
lunch with credit union leaders from Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union
and the League. Rep. Ellsworth, formerly Vanderburgh County Sheriff, spoke of
his 25-year membership at Centurion FCU in Evansville.
Rep. Ellsworth discussed the progress made by the 110th Congress in its first
100 hours and took questions from the group. He also commended credit unions for
their community spirit, making mention of credit union efforts to help
Evansville-area residents recover from a deadly tornado last year and credit
unions’ financial literacy efforts as part of the NEFE program.
Indiana House Majority Floor Leader Russell Stilwell (D-Booneville) also
addressed the attendees, providing an overview of the major issues facing this
session of the Indiana General Assembly. In his remarks, he characterized credit
unions as, “an issue that legislators from both parties can get behind” because
of their people focus. Following Rep. Stillwell, the popular panel of reporters
and political leaders from the local PBS show Indiana Week in Review
debated the current and future political climate.
League President John McKenzie updated the group on credit union issues in
Congress and commented that the new Congress could offer improved opportunities
for improving the laws governing credit union member business lending, capital
requirements and service to people of modest means. McKenzie told the group that
representatives of the League also had already met with Indiana’s other two new
congressmen, Joe Donnelly (D-2) and Baron Hill (D-9), three times each since
they were elected in November. Rep. Donnelly is on the House Financial Services
Committee. League VP of Governmental Affairs Chris Beaumont updated the group on
issues facing the Indiana General Assembly that are important to credit unions
including a bill that includes key improvements to the state credit union
charter.
The day ended with a legislative reception where more than 40 state senators
and representatives interacted with credit union leaders.
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